Lightsource BP to develop Texas solar park after securing virtual PPA

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Image: Lightsource BP.

US aerospace and defence company L3Harris Technologies has signed a virtual power purchase agreement (PPA) with Lightsource BP for up to 100MW of capacity from a new solar farm in Texas.

The deal will enable Lightsource BP to finance and construct the Elm Branch solar project, which is scheduled to break ground later this year and begin operations in the second half of 2021.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

L3Harris, which selected Lightsource BP following a competitive procurement process, will receive renewable energy certificates from the solar project as it looks to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 30% by 2026.

“The renewable energy sector is helping businesses meet their sustainability goals while advancing our transition toward low carbon and creating meaningful economic benefits for communities around the country,” said Kevin Smith, CEO of the Americas for Lightsource BP. “This agreement with L3Harris is supporting development of new solar energy infrastructure in Texas that will provide a clean and economic source of electric power while creating hundreds of jobs in the greater Dallas Fort Worth area.”

The deal follows the continued rise of US commercial and industrial players turning to solar PPAs to help reach ambitious renewable energy goals. Google earlier this month secured a deal to purchase power from a 140MW solar plant to be developed by Candela Renewables in Texas, while Microsoft recently announced its single largest green energy PPA through a collaboration with Sol Systems.

Facebook topped the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance’s list of largest US energy buyers in 2019 with a procurement of 1,546MW. It was followed by Google with 1,107MW and AT&T with 960MW.

Figures from BloombergNEF show PPAs for all forms of green energy by companies jumped 44% worldwide between 2018 (13.6GW) and 2019 (19.5GW), driven by the US and a rise in solar deals.

According to the consultancy, there has been a shift from wind to solar PPAs in Texas’ ERCOT area, potentially as a result of corporations looking to take advantage of peak pricing during the summer months in the state, which is better captured by solar.

21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

October 8, 2025
US solar module prices jumped in Q3 2025 as developers scrambled to meet the 2 September 2025 safe harbour deadline for Investment Tax Credit (ITC) qualification, according to supply chain platform Anza.
October 8, 2025
Despite policy headwinds on the federal level, there is optimism for the future of the US solar and storage sector.
October 7, 2025
Juniper Green Energy through its subsidiary Juniper Green Sigma Eight has signed a 70MW power purchase agreement with renewable energy giant Tata Power. 
October 7, 2025
Solar PV will account for almost 80% of the 4.6TW of new renewable power expected to be added by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
October 7, 2025
Doral Renewables has secured a PPA with an unnamed 'corporate buyer' for its 430MW Cold Creek solar-plus-storage project in Texas.
October 7, 2025
US independent power producer (IPP) Arevon has begun operations at two utility-scale solar projects in Indiana.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK